And He Called Darkness Light
by romeparistokyo
Summary: "There shall be consequences. The lack of your soul shall bring out of hiding all of your demons. Jealousy, pride… Regret, betrayal. And the one you should be scared of the most. The demon of your darkest desires and all your lust." The story takes place in the past, 17th century. Cover made by kcaccola15.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I've been planning to write this story for a while and now I finally had time to start it. It's dark and it will only get darker. In future chapters it will probably break your hearts and tear them apart. Sorry for that. **

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**Summary: ''In order to save life of her fiancé Caroline decides to sell her soul to devil with a help of two very powerful witches. They warn her that there will be consequences but she ignores them. After a while it turns out that they were right and for Caroline nothing is the same ever since. She's being haunted by demons that reflect all of her fears and desires. One of them is Klaus. Soon he offers her something that would help her get her soul back. She becomes a part of his bloody ritual and realises that because of her decisions she may lose something more than just a soul - her heart, which slowly starts to belong to her darkest demon".**

**Rated M because of the future chapters. **

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** I hope you'll enjoy reading this story just as much as I enjoy writing it. **

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** prologue**

_**"**__And when the time comes along  
And the lights run out  
I know when the light will burn out  
When they blow me out."_

She's been running for so long that she had completely lost her perception of time. Every bone in her body was hurting, even though she wasn't feeling anything. She was just struggling through the woods, pulling her lover's body behind her on her last legs. She was screaming. The scream had been lasting for so long that she wasn't even sure if it was still real. Maybe it was just an echo inside her head. She thought she would never stop screaming.

Her heart was beating very fast and loud. Its noise was drowning the fading groans of her wounded companion. He was dying, dying, dying. And she could only keep running ahead although she perfectly knew that each minute of this run only made him suffer more.

"You need to run. You need to let me die," he had told her with his voice soft and quiet less than few seconds ago. Seconds, minutes, hours… Caroline wasn't sure about that and she wasn't even able to think about it. She was just yelling for help. Yelling and yelling until this word lost all its meaning. Until she didn't even know what does it mean any more.

Finally she managed to run out of the woods. On her last legs she got to the door of a small cottage, placed right at the boundary of the forest. There was this rumor spreading all around Mystic Falls. The story about a witch living in this poor cabin. Reportedly she knew the dark magic and she had an ability to heal with her touch only. Reportedly she could raise the dead.

Caroline was knocking on the door so hardly that she left bloody traces on them. She didn't knew whose was this blood though. She was yelling and hitting the gloomy gates until the owner of the scary hut showed up at them.

"To hell with you, why did you come here?" The witch screeched in greeting when Caroline elbowed her way next to her and lied her companion's body on her room's floor.

"You need to help him, witch! Help him, help him, help him!" The girl was wailing. She was dirty and covered in blood. The run tore to pieces the skirt of her expensive dress. Her blonde curls were all glued together with some dirty-red slime. Both her and her boy's dead body wore the odor of death.

"Stop yelling, for the gods' sake!" The old witch snapped at Caroline as she closed the door carefully. The girl's wailing got a little more quiet. It turned into a silent, stifled sobbing. Witch bended above Caroline's lover's corpse and touched his forehead. She closed her eyes doing this and she let a quiet whisper out of her throat. It was some Latin prayer. Then she opened her eyes a little and looked at Caroline with horror.

"He is dead," she wheezed. The pupils of her eyes were wide which only made poor Care more frightened. She gritted her teeth though and hissed:

"Then do whatever it takes to raise him from dead."

With a wild passion burning in her eyes she dug her nails into the witch's arms and she shook her.

"Do whatever it does take!"

But the woman only shook her head in answer.

"It is a sin against the gods and the nature to bring people back from death. His soul has already known the peace we cannot ruin."

Caroline burst into tears. Through the tears she managed to whisper:

"I would do anything. Anything. I would kill my friends, I would burn down this world…" she groaned, stroking her lover's cheek. All of sudden she rose her head wildly and looked at the witch with madness. "I would sell my soul to the devil."

The woman backed off and rose from the floor. She started walking around the room anxiously and then she threw in:

"What you want to do is evil and cursed with madness."

Irrational smile danced across Caroline's lips.

"But possible, isn't it? It is possible."

The girl was trembling, filled with hope.

"You will bring us all misery!"

"I do not care." Caroline claimed firmly, raising from the ground and taking her eyes off the witch to her daughter, standing in the corner of the room since a while. "You and your daughter shall do whatever I ask you to… or else I would give you up to my father and you shall burn at the stake."

The witch looked at her with horror and she referred to her daughter:

"Bonnie, the child of mine, bring me _The Book of Shadows_."

* * *

Caroline watched the old witch open the book and look for a right spell. Her daughter was lighting the candles. There was so much of them, their flames made the room look as if it was burning. She could feel thrills spinning down her body as she thought what was she about to do.

She wasn't scared though. No, it wasn't the right word. She was rather excited. And that was truly alarming.

Bonnie gave Caroline her wet head-scarf so she could clean her face but the insane blonde just put it on her lover's forehead as if she wanted to protect him from fever. But his body wasn't even warm. It was cold and dead, in a few hours it would start rotting and turning pale, almost greenish. Caroline wasn't aware of that. She wasn't thinking this way. For her it wasn't a dead body, it was her little darling. It was Tyler. She didn't care that all that used to make him her lover was already gone and dead. She didn't care that the light of his eyes went out. As long as she could stroke his lips and feel his cold skin under her fingertips, she could also see that light under her eyelids. And she was holding on to that, touching his face and removing the blood from it carefully.

"We are ready," Bonnie said, as she looked at Caroline and she reached out her hand to help the girl raise.

"Are you sure it is what you want?" The old witch asked. Bonnie started to spill the salt all over the floor, until it formed one big pentagram. Caroline couldn't take her eyes off it, as if she was hypnotized.

"I am sure."

"There shall be consequences. The lack of your soul shall bring out of hiding all of your demons. Jealousy, pride… Regret, betrayal. And the one you should be scared of the most. The demon of your darkest desires and all your lust." The woman wheezed. She was pale and her hands were trembling. But Caroline only smirked.

"You cannot scare me, you old woman. Just cast the spell and let me out of your stinking little house. With or without my soul. I could not care less about it."

Bonnie snuffled.

"She is lost and damaged, mother. We must not help her!"

Then Caroline's horrible laughter filled the room.

"If you do not, you will die. It is that simple."

"We need to do this, Bonnie. As soon as they find out those two are dead, they will find us. And then burn us!" The old witch was almost crying. Bonnie shook her head in disbelief.

"Fine then. Are you ready?" She asked Caroline.

"Oh, darling. A lot more than ready."

* * *

The sounds getting out of the witches' throats were horrible. Caroline did know Latin but she couldn't recognize the words. With each one of them, though, she could feel the fire burning her insides more and more painfully. At first it was just a heat. Then it turned into fire. And as it did, she couldn't keep herself from screaming any more.

Screaming was good. And brought her power. She close her eyes and let it fill her body, her heart and her mind. Her soul trembled and faded and she could literally _feel_ it leaving her body. The candles' flames grew up as if they were about to reach the heavens. But they did not, because before they managed to do it, Caroline's soul was already dead. And it was gone.

She fell down and hit the ground. The darkness surrounded her and froze her insides. For the first time she was truly scared. She was trying to get up but she couldn't. Someone was pushing her to the floor, she couldn't catch her breath. Her lungs were hurting so much that she would've cried if she knew how.

Then she felt someone stroking her cheeks, playing with her hair. She heard someone laughing. And just when she thought she was already in hell, she recognized that one touch somewhere on her wounded skin. A touch better than all the touches she's ever felt. And as she focused on it, the laughter went quiet and the pain stopped.

"You are mine now," A voice said. Caroline never heard more beautiful sound. She wanted to catch it, hold on to it and last in the darkness, engrossed in this voice until the end of time. But as she reached out her hand, the light broke her eyes. She blinked and look up.

There was Tyler, kneeled right in front of her. He was warm. He was alive. And he was scared.

"Caroline? Caroline, what happened?"

She looked round the house but the witches were gone. The place was empty and she wondered how did they manage to leave in

such a short time, in a second.

"Caroline?"

She shook her head and bit her lip. She snuggled her head into Tyler's chest and laughed hysterically.

"Nothing. Nothing happened." She whispered into his blood-stained shirt. He drowned his fingers in her dirty curls and his lips touched fleetingly her forehead. They were safe, they were safe, they were safe. She saved them.

And then Caroline felt a strange coldness on the back of her neck. Someone was touching her. And it definitely wasn't Tyler's warm touch.

"You are mine now." She heard once again. She let the tears stream down her cheeks as she realized that maybe Tyler was safe but she wasn't at all. And she wasn't his any more. She belonged to that voice.

But she couldn't just push her lover away just then. She was holding on to him, part of her was praying to the gods to let her stay in his arms forever. And the other one wanted to run away because she knew there was nothing left for her any more.

She was shattered. And bound by hell.

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**A/N: Any thoughts? Please, feel free to share them. Should I continue this or not?**

**Love,**

**Sara. **


	2. Kiss my gentle burning bruise

**A/N: First I'd like to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews. They really mean a world to me! To all those people who found the beginning interesting - I am really happy you did, I hope you will find the rest of this story intriguing as well. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Laura (kcaccola15 on tumblr) because she's the best friend I have ever made on tumblr. She's also the author of this beautiful cover for my fic you can see here. You guys should totally check out her blog and the rest of her edits, they are truly flawless.**

**Oh, I also wanted to thank team-originals-always-and-forever for answering to the desperate request I posted in the Klaroline tag and also making a cover for ****_And He Called Darkness Light._**

**In short - you are all guys amazing and I hope you will enjoy this chapter (: I just want to hug all of you for reading this.**

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**chapter first**

_Blow the smoke right off the tube_  
_Kiss my gentle burning bruise_  
_I'm lost in time_  
_And to all the people left behind_  
_You are walking dumb and blind, blind_

_And two thousand years I've been awake_  
_Waiting for the day to shake_

"Where were you all night?" Allison asked, pouring Caroline a cup of tea. She shrugged her shoulders, drank a little and licked her lips.

"At the Lockwoods'," she lied. Her sister opened her mouth in order to say something but no word left her throat. The girl nodded her head.

"You know you are not allowed to spend nights with Tyler until the wedding. Do you really wish to bring shame on our family?" Allison hissed in disbelief, staring at Caroline as if she wanted to kill her with her eyes only.

"I wasn't with Tyler," Care said calmly. "Mister Lockwood wanted me to join their family for a dinner and so I did. When we finished it was too late for me to come back home. You know our town is not a safe place these days. They were worried and did not want to send me away until morning. I slept in one of their chandlers for guests."

She knew that Allison didn't believe in a word she said but she wouldn't believe in the truth either. It was good because Caroline wasn't even sure what the truth actually was.

"Besides, Allison… We all know you are not exactly the innocent, sweet little thing as you claim to be either."

Her sister wrinkled her eyebrows and shook her head.

"What is wrong with you today?" She asked, sending her an irritated look and she left the room, still not able to believe what did she just hear.

Caroline touched her lips as if she wanted to put those horrible words back somewhere deep down her throat. Then she felt something warm streaming down her fingers and she reached out her hand to see it. She almost started to screaming as she realized it was blood. She started touching her face like a crazy person, and with each touch there was only more and more of the scarlet slime everywhere. On the table, on her dress, on her hands.

She got up from a chair and ran straight to her chandler. She could hear the sound of blood trickling down from her entire body, leaving a red-stained path behind her. She was sobbing, not able to catch her breath. She leaned her hand against the wall as she entered her room, in order not to fall. Then she looked at it and took it back immediately. She almost screamed as she saw the bloody trace it left on the pale-white wall.

She almost crawled her way to her dressing table. She was terrified but she wanted to see her face in the mirror. Maybe it was all in her head.

Or maybe it wasn't.

Caroline let a silent groan out of her mouth as she saw herself in the sheet of glass and fell down on her knees. She felt the taste of blood on her tongue, she could see its color under her eyelids as she closed her eyes.

"Please, stop this." She whispered although she knew there was no one left to help her. She did that to herself. Now she were just going to die here, in a pool of her own blood. How long did it take to bleed out? How long to die? And was a death really a solution when she knew that she wouldn't just pass away and rest in peace? She would burn in hell.

She knew the torment of burning. She was on fire for a few minutes last night, she couldn't imagine going through this hell over and over for eternity. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die for what she did last night. She didn't want to die for him. _She didn't want to die for Tyler._

"You look like you are in need of help, love." A soft voice said somewhere inside of her head. She pressed her hands into her ears so she couldn't hear anything but whoever was talking to her.

"I am in need of _death_," She snarled through her teeth gritted.

"And you will die… someday. But not today, Caroline. You still have to wait."

She felt him, this cold ghost inside her brain. She felt him touching every bare part of her skin. She was trembling under this touch, she was craving for it. She was craving for a touch of somebody who probably didn't even exist.

"You are saying this as if it was a good thing," She told him, closing her eyes and trying to picture him under her eyelids.

"Because it is." He said, stroking her cheeks. "It is truly the best thing that could ever happen… To me."

Caroline opened her eyes abruptly, suddenly wanting to get out of his arms. But before she started fighting him she realized that he was already gone.

Gone with the blood.

* * *

She was walking down the street, looking up at the sky and letting the sunshine dance on her face, stroke it fleetingly with its warm light. Her dress rustled with each step she took. Her breath was calm and slow. She was just going ahead, engrossed with all of those sounds and surrounded by the beauty of this day.

All that happened in the morning seemed irrational and unreal then. As if it was some sort of a nightmare, a dream she could learn to wake up from. She was trying to keep it out of her mind but she knew it wasn't exactly the best thing to do. According to the witches, there would be more consequences. She needed to find out how to stop them as soon as possible. She could be denying it as long as she wanted but denial couldn't erase what she did last night.

_I need to find those witches and make them tell me what to do to take this back_, she thought naively as she approached the church. She had many things to plan. The wedding was getting closer and closer and she still didn't even have a guest list. It was all making her nervous. Back then she considered what the people could see with their eyes much more important than what she could see in her head.

She sighed as she opened the gates of the temple. They moved and she took a step forward to get in. And then she hit the invisible wall.

"What the hell?" She muttered under her breath, hitting the transparent barrier. It only caused her pain. She started to knocking on it harder and harder until she couldn't even catch her breath. What was that supposed to be?

"Caroline? What are you doing?" She heard behind her back a familiar voice. She let a sigh out of her throat and turned to look at her friend.

"Nothing, why?" She sent her a surprised smile, trying to hide how jittery she was inside. Elena wrinkled her eyebrows, shaking her head, clearly intrigued by Caroline's strange behavior.

"Why don't you come in?" Her look was getting even more questioning with each second of this conversation..

"They are closed," Caroline lied as she slammed the door and leaned against it.

"Oh." Elena didn't look convinced but she finally understood that her friend wasn't exactly going to stop answering with riddles. "Would you like to take a walk with me then?"

Caroline looked at her and then back at the church and she smiled.

"With pleasure."

* * *

"So you must be worried. You know, about the wedding." Elena said but Caroline wasn't really paying attention to her words.

"Yeah, I guess," She murmured in answer.

"You are so lucky though. You are in love with Tyler, aren't you?"

Caroline smiled gently and she felt pink blushes appearing on her beautifully pale face. She wished it was that simple. She didn't get to answer though because she saw the witches' cabin, looming right in front of them. She was truly surprised – getting there took them barely half an hour and last night it lasted almost for an eternity.

"What are we doing here?" Elena asked, staring at Caroline with a concerned look on her face.

"Do not worry. I only wanted to check something. You can wait here if you wish." She calmed her friend down and she approached the house. She was hoping that the witches came back here at some point. Or left her some sort of a message at least. Instruction what to do. Or maybe some predictions so she knew what to expect in case there was really nothing to stop the consequences.

She pushed the handle, surprised how easily the door opened. She got inside without any troubles this time. She looked round the house, filled with hope of seeing someone. Anyone. Anyone who could tell her the truth, who could give her some hints.

But there was not a living soul.

Caroline sighed as she started to leave but once she touched the handle she realized the door was closed. And it didn't seem to open. She started kicking them and hitting them, hoping Elena would hear that and do something. But the minutes were passing and no one was coming to rescue her.

She turned towards the room, considering leaving this horrible place through the window. But then she realized there was no windows in here. All the lights faded out and there she was, drifting in the dark. Her eyes couldn't recognize a shape.

"It must be truly annoying," A woman's voice said. Caroline took a deep breath and looked towards the place where this sound was coming from.

"Personally, I would have lost my mind if I were you. You are imprisoned and you keep bruising, striking against the bars of your own cage. How could this happen to you, you cursed little thing?" The demon in front of her was wearing her face. She took a step back. Her body hit the wall.

"Who are you?" Caroline whispered. She tried to make her voice sound firmly but it trembled and broke in the middle of the sentence.

"It depends, really. They call me the jealousy that burns down your mind. They call me the one that binds… They call me Rebekah."

Caroline squinted her eyes because she couldn't see her face anymore.

"It's good, do not look at her." She heard inside her head. She looked round and her eyes stopped at Rebekah's silhouette. Caroline could feel her concern and insecurity. _She hears it_, Care thought, a smile danced across her lips, _she hears it too. _

"Do not think you are able to run away from me. You are not. I am _you_. You cannot escape yourself." The demon said as she started fading away and disappearing.

Caroline closed her eyes and started repeating some prayer she had learnt once. It was the most beautiful one she has ever heard. She wasn't a believer but she somehow did believe in this prayer.

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I _pray_ thee, Lord, my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I _pray_ thee, Lord, my soul to take."She was repeating until the sunshine broke under her eyelids and made her mind bright and safe again. She was repeating it even though now she was sure there was no redemption for her anymore.

* * *

"What took you so long? I was worried." Elena said when she saw Caroline leaving the old house. "It is not safe to visit abandoned cabins, especially these days."

The Gilbert girl made this sound warm and nicely, traces of laughter were dancing in the air when she spoke. Her face was lightened with relief but as Caroline got closer to her, all the shining lights left her eyes and her gentle smile slipped down her chin.

"What happened? Hey, what happened?"

Caroline shook her head, not able to speak. Her skin was so pale, almost transparent. Her teeth were chattering so hard that it managed to cut her lips already. They were literally white, its beautiful pink shade disappeared and the only color on her face was the color of blood, covering her mouth. The cold sweat was streaming down her forehead, getting under her eyelids.

"Caroline?" Elena asked worried, putting her hands on Caroline's arms. She grabbed them as she trembled under her friend's touch.

"It's—it's nothing. I'm—I'm fine, I just—I just need to get out of here—" She assured, removing the teardrops from her cheeks.

"You do not look like you were fine."

Caroline took a deep breath.

"I know. I need to come home and change that. Tyler is visiting me tonight and he cannot see me like this."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about what happened in there?"

Caroline nodded her head. "I am. Oh, and Elena… Do not tell anybody about it. Don't you say a word. They cannot know."

* * *

She did part of her wonderful golden curls up and let the other one spread her back and fall down her shoulders. Her eyes were shining bright and she hoped it was not because of the tears she was holding back in them all evening. She managed to cover the wound on her lips and bring some color back on her face. Each time she blinked her eyes they were rustling quietly, making the same sound as the butterflies' wings do while they're about to take off the ground.

Caroline looked down, to check out how did she look in her dress once again. She was absolutely in love with this one. She loved especially its blue color, bringing sapphire reflections out of her emerald-green eyes. She also found its bodice really pretty. It was so tight she could barely breath but still, simply ravishing. All woven with laces, pearls and bright zircons. Down, under the line of her waist, the skirt of this dress was widening and its color was changing with each thread, turning fairer and fairer, until it was completely white. As white as the pearls pinned in her hair.

The décolleté of this gown was square and rather low, thanks to what she could put on her neck just as much jewellery as she liked.

She turned to look into the mirror once again, aware of the fact that in a minute or so she would have to go upstairs and everyone's eyes would be on her. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that. Not after what she did, not after she found herself talking with imagined voices living inside of her head and not being able to get into the church.

_Be strong_, she told herself, letting a smile dance across her lips. It wasn't genuine at all but still, it lightened her face a bit and she was in desperate need of some light.

"Ready?" Caroline heard suddenly behind her back. She cringed at the sound of this voice. She wasn't expecting him here, she thought he would wait for her downstairs.

"Tyler." She said, smiling at him. "Of course."

He smiled back but Caroline knew that it wasn't honest. He was about to say something. Something he didn't think she would like to hear.

"I need to talk to you about what happened last night in the woods."

She felt sweat streaming down her back.

"An animal… attacked us. You got hurt. I didn't know what to do so I took you to some peasants' cottage, hoping they would find a way to save your life. And they did and… It turned out your wounds weren't as serious as I thought." Caroline said firmly, surprised how easy it was to lie to his face.

"When I woke up there was no one in this cottage. Only you. I went there today to check this and guess what? It was gone. There was no cottage." Tyler was almost yelling but he wasn't mad. He was worried and exhausted. And he needed answers.

Caroline sighed and she sat on the bed, prepared for a longer conversation.

"Perhaps you got to the wrong place, I don't know. I visited those peasants today to thank them for everything and their house was exactly where it was last night."

Tyler snorted.

"Perhaps. But then again… Would you please explain to me how a bunch of _peasants _managed to heal me so well that there was no wound on my body this morning? It is not rational. You are lying to me, aren't you?" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to be gentle after all.

"I—I have no idea, Tyler. I am telling the truth. You know I would never lie to you. Besides what do you think the truth is, you think I am some witch that used magic on you?" Caroline's voice broke in the middle of her speech. She gritted her teeth, she couldn't tell him any more. She was prepared that he would start shouting and cursing but he didn't. Instead he just sighed and hid his face in his hands.

"I don't know, Caroline. I am—I am sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I should not—I shouldn't yell at you."

"No… No, it's fine. Last night is over, right? Another one has just started. We cannot spend it here, crying over something we do not understand. We were both frightened yesterday, our fear messed up in our heads. We cannot let it overwhelm us. Not tonight." She whispered. Her voice sounded like a melody. Tyler looked at her and nodded, trying to remember every word she said and keep them all in his heart. She was so good, she would never lie to him. She was right, he knew that.

Caroline reached her hand out for him, trying not to cry because of all the lies she just said to him. How could she? She hated herself for that. Surprisingly though she found herself hating him even more because he actually believed it. He didn't force her to tell the truth, he didn't want to know it. He wanted a simple answer, a simple explanation, so he could stop worrying about it and go back to his life. Did he even care about her?

"So… Let's go there and dance finally, shall we?"

Her smile was only another lie but this one she actually wanted him to believe in.

* * *

He watched her go downstairs with her man, cursing him in his mind and blessing his soul at the same time. Cursing, because he had her. He owned her, he could put his hands all over her body, he could whisper promises into her ear, he could play with her gorgeous hair. And blessing him because he was such a hopeless fool. Thoughtless, unreasonable. Stupid enough to let her beauty out of his hands. And so naïve, he believed in every word she said. And he didn't seem to realize where those sweet lies would lead him – straight into the death's den.

Demon smiled, safe in the darkness, ready to leave it, get her and bring her all the misery she was supposed to drown in. He followed Caroline and Tyler downstairs. His steps were as silent as if he wasn't taking them at all. His silhouette was as transparent as if he didn't exist at all.

"Caroline," he said her name, putting his hands on her waist. "Caroline, love, did you miss me?"

She cringed and let go of Tyler's hand, looking round the ballroom like a madwoman. Concerned. Lost. Demon found this amusing.

"Are you real?" She muttered under her breath while her companion was too busy talking with her father. Her mouth barely moved as if she didn't let a word out of it.

"Why won't you leave him and find out yourself?"

"Because I cannot."

"Don't you wish to see me?" He asked, his cold fingers stroking her fragile neck. She felt it as if his fingertips were living traces all over her skin and each one of this traces was burning and making her crave for him to touch her again and extinguish this fire.

"I only wish for you to leave."

"As you wish then."

Caroline grabbed Tyler's hand and she clasped it tightly. Before the voice left her head though she already managed to miss it.

"Excuse me for a while," she whispered into Tyler's ear, smiled at him and then she ran out of the ballroom, following the temptation that most likely would also lead her to what she might had lost last night.

* * *

**A/N: You were probably surprised that I made Caroline have a sister, so here's the word of explanation - I came up with her because I needed someone very close to Caroline, who could see what is happening to her. Also, I will need her in the future chapters. Thank you all for reading! **

**Reviews are always awesome so feel free to leave one! (: **


	3. Became joy in name only

**A/N: Most of you wonder who the hell is Klaus in this story but I can't tell you just yet. It's complicated and will be explained slowly. **

**As usually, I wanted to thank you for all your reviews (: **

**Chapter dedicated to Laura (kcaccola15) because she's simply the best. **

**I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**chapter second**

_"Then one morning I awoke to find her weeping_  
_And for many days to follow_  
_She grew so sad and lonely_  
_Became joy in name only"_

Allison watched Caroline leave the ballroom. Her eyes followed her sister to the exit and after she wasn't within her sight anymore, she decided to go and check out if she was fine.

She was truly alarmed by her sister's behavior. Caroline was never really a mysterious person. Yes, she was a wonderful riddle for most of men. She knew how to intrigue people and there was something in the way she moved that literally made all the boys from town follow her. But she didn't use to have secrets. And even if she did, she always shared them with her beloved older sister.

And yet, there she was. Acting strange, looking round the room as if she was afraid of something, moving her lips but not saying a word. Allison couldn't figure out what was this all about and she had this feeling that if she wouldn't do it as fast as she was able to, something terrible would happen.

* * *

Caroline ran out of the mansion, straight to the garden. Allison expected that. Their wonderful garden was her sister's safe place. The one where she could cry knowing that no one would hear her. Where she could read and study, admire the beauty of nature. She was truly drawn to it. She could spend hours watching the flowers swaying in the wind, looking after them and talking to them as if they were blooming only for her. As if they could hear her. Alli didn't exactly know what was so special about her sister but indeed, the plants in their garden seemed to like the sound of her voice. Their parents had hired few gardeners before, to take care of all those flowers and trees because they had said that such a magnificent young noblewoman as Caroline shouldn't get her hands dirty with a work like this. However, they had learnt that everything was blossoming better while she was looking after it pretty soon.

Flowers cannot grow in the darkness though. And even if they indeed don't disappear at night, they are invisible for us. Because human eye isn't able to see the beauty of something as long as the sun doesn't shine on it.

All those thoughts distracted Allison a little but not enough to lose Caroline. She could still see her and hear her breathing unnaturally fast. She decided to keep her distance though. She didn't want her sister to find out she was right behind her.

Suddenly, Caroline stopped. She looked round to check if no one was there. Luckily Allison was standing close to the walls of the mansion, so she could lean against them, thanking the God that he chose a dark dress to wear this evening.

"Come back to me," her sister said out loud, looking towards the star-studded sky. "I need to talk to you, whatever you are."

Alli's eyes squinted, trying too see if Caroline was talking to an actual person or to herself. But there was no other shadow in the darkness, only her sister's. She felt this strange fear overwhelming her, as if it got under her skin somehow and got into her veins.

Caroline spoke again, "If you think you have some sort of control over me, then you are wrong. You do not. And I am not afraid of you."

No answer. Allison couldn't see her sister's face but she could see something changing in the way she stood. Not that tall anymore.

"You cannot appear and disappear like this, can you hear me? Can you?!"

Alli cringed as Caroline's voice raised. It sounded terrible, so tired and hoarse.

"Well, I am waiting for you." Her sister said suddenly, although now it was more like a whisper. Care stood there for a few minutes or so and then she sighed and turned round, towards the gates of the mansion. Allison wanted to go there and talk to her but before she managed to do it, she heard someone's steps. They were reaching her ears from the place that Caroline had just left.

"Something is wrong with her, isn't it?" Tyler said, leaning against the wall next to Allison. His voice sent thrills down her spin, she could barely speak now.

"What do you think it is, is she insane? Has my sister—has she lost her mind?" Tyler shrugged and took a sip of some alcohol from the bottle he was holding in his hands.

"Clearly. And she's also not telling me something, you know?"

Allison sent him a questioning look.

"Something happened… last night. We were in the forest. I got attacked by something, I passed out. And when I woke up, I was with her. In some cottage. No wound on my body." He explained, taking another sip and reaching the bottle towards Allison.

"You want some? It helps." Tyler offered.

She smiled sadly, her smile didn't reach her eyes, "Ladies do not get drunk."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, miss Allison."

She looked at him, her eyes stopped at the height of his lips. She was staring at them for a while until she said:

"Ladies do not need alcohol, mister Lockwood. They need a man's shoulder to cry onto."

"Really?" He asked amused. "I know one that needs something completely different."

"And what is that?"

Tyler stroked her cheek, then his fingers started skating the edge of her jaw.

"This," he said right before his lips met hers.

* * *

One glance round the ballroom was enough for Caroline to notice that Tyler was no longer there. Normally she would be furious that he left before they even had a chance to dance together but not that night. She needed to get drunk, as fast as she could and she didn't care that young noblewomen weren't allowed to drink and bring shame on their families.

She looked at her parents. They were busy, talking to Tyler's father and paying him pathetic, cheap compliments. She barely kept herself from hysterical laugh each time she was forced to watch it. She wondered if mister Lockwood knew how deceitful they were, how laughably drawn to his fortune. She shook her head in disbelief, grabbed a bottle and headed back to her chandler.

* * *

One sip, then another.

Caroline was dancing across the room to the rhythm of music she could hear from the ballroom. Her ridiculously long dress was making it difficult for her though. Annoyed, she took a knife and light-heartedly let its blade shred to pieces the laces of her gown. She was lashing it passionately until most of the material was laying on the floor. Until the shreds of it that she was still wearing didn't reach further than her knees.

Caroline loosened the bodice so she could breath normally and went back to dancing. There was something in it, something good. Freedom. She was free. She was free to move as she wanted, she didn't have to be careful and follow the steps they were making her learn. While dancing alone every choice was hers. She didn't have to lean on any man, she didn't have to step back when he stepped forward. She didn't have to turn round for a pirouette when he would favorably let her. She could decide if she wanted to take this slow or fast. She didn't belong to her dance partner, she belonged to _herself_. And that was one of the things she was missing these days. Independence. The demon she had met back then in the old cottage had told her the truth. She was just one little, wounded bird striking against the bars of the cage she was trapped into. She desperately needed to get out. Stop feeling what they wanted her to feel, stop being a prisoner of their needs and desires. Break free.

"Only you cannot, can you?" Caroline smiled as she heard those words.

"So I was right, you are not deaf." She said, looking up because she assumed that he must've been there.

"Do not look for me in the sky, love, I am not an angel."

"Do you crawl then, slither as a venomous snake?"

"Wrong again, miss Forbes. I do not fly and I do not crawl. If I did, I wouldn't be able to follow you, would I?" He asked, his voice as tender as a whisper.

"Where are you now?" She ignored his question, hoping he wasn't rude enough to ignore hers.

"Right behind you, can't you feel me?"

"I wish I could see you, though."

"Be careful what you wish for. Especially while being drunk." He answered amused as he ran his fingers through her hair. Few pearls fell down and rolled across the floor. She cringed as she heard the noise they made.

"What is your name then? It is rude not to tell, you know." Caroline said, her voice shrill although she tried her best to make it sound firmly.

"They call me The Leader in Victory."

Caroline frowned. She heard him laughing and after his laughter went quiet she could tell that he was no longer there.

* * *

_What have I done_, Allison cursed herself. _How could I? _

She entered her chandler, still unable to believe in what had happened few minutes ago. She licked her lips in disgust, as if she wanted to get rid of Tyler's taste, still remaining on them, reminding her of how awful she turned out to be.

_How will I look into the mirror, how will I look into Caroline's eyes?_, she lamented over it, kicking herself mentally so hard it was almost hurting her physically. _Kissing my sister's fiancé! _

For the first time she thought that maybe her beloved Cary was right. Maybe she wasn't the innocent, sweet little thing she claimed to be at all. Maybe she was the one who lost her mind.

Just when she was about to start crying, she heard someone knocking on her door.

"Go away, Tyler!" She yelled, furious that he would just come here after what they had done.

"Why would Tyler visit you?" A concerned voice asked and Allison cursed herself once again. Caroline.

"Listen, Care—"Alli started as she opened the door.

"Never mind, I came with something much more important." Her sister said as she entered the room.

"Oh." Allison was bewildered. "What is that?"

Caroline smiled. There was something different about her and she smelled like an old winery. She must've been drinking. And her dress, her dress was in pieces.

"Remember when our father hired that weird teacher for us? The one obsessed with numbers and hidden meanings of everything?"

Alli blinked her eyes in confusion. Her sister's behavior was beyond weird.

"Yes," she answered though. Caroline's smile widened.

"He adored our names so much, he used to say it was almost impossible to name children so perfectly by coincidence." She continued, ignoring Allison's questioning look. "He said something about harmony… I am not sure though. Could you please remind me what about our names made him so intrigued? Was it their meaning?"

"I guess. He told me there was no better way to know the person than by their name."

Caroline nodded, filled with happiness.

"He fancied you much more than me, didn't he? He even gave you a present. A book written by himself." She said, watching Allison's face change as she was trying to recall those old memories.

"Yes. _A Book of Meanings_, that's how it was called. But why are you asking about this?"

"I need you to borrow me that book. I wanted to check the meaning of my name, you know. It's intriguing."

"Joy, a song of happiness" Allison whispered. Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"The meaning of your name," Alli explained. "Joy, a song of happiness."

"Oh." Care was mad at her sister's excellent memory. "I'd still like to borrow that book though. I think I'm going to need this after the wedding."

Allison sighed.

"It's in the library I guess. Although, I wouldn't take it too serious. That man was crazy."

"Sure, I just need amusement and I thought reading this would be a nice form of it." Caroline said as she sent her sister another wide smile and left the chandler.

* * *

Finding the book would be a lot easier if Caroline was sober. Since she wasn't though, she had to do this the hard way, dealing with the letters blurring in front of her eyes. It was only making her furious but she was determined to find that ridiculous book.

She remembered the words of the demon she'd spoken to back then, in the cottage. When Caroline had asked her about her name, she said it was 'the one that binds, Rebekah'. And today when she asked the other demon the same question, he answered 'The Leader in Victory'. She supposed that it was the meaning of his name and by this meaning she could easily find it and get to know it.

She almost laughed when she finally found the damn started leafing through its pages, searching for the name as if she was crazy. Suddenly she felt a heat under her fingertips, becoming hotter and hotter until it burnt her skin. She dropped the book just as it started to burn. She watched the fire but she wasn't scared. It clearly wasn't meant to burn down the house, only her key to the truth. She felt her eyes filling with tears as her hopes were right in front of her, turning into dust.

All of sudden she felt the cold wind getting in through the window. She turned round to check if it was even open and then something soft and fragile landed in the palm of her hand. She looked at it. It was a piece of paper with something written on it. She squinted her eyes to see better. Whoever wrote this, their handwriting was beautiful. Or maybe she only thought so because it was exactly what she's been looking for.

_The Leader in Victory_, someone had written. And then, below, there was one more word. Faint but still perfectly legible. And that was this name, she supposed. The name she was craving to know.

The name was short and rare, as old as the world was.

The name was a pure definition of her demon, like it could belong only to him, no one else.

The name sent chills down her spin.

The name was _Klaus._

* * *

**A/N: As you noticed, I played a little with the meanings of their names. **

**Caroline means also ''free man" but ''joy, a song of happiness" matched my story a lot better. Same with Klaus' name - it also means ''a victory of people". As I read, the meaning of Rebekah's name is ''to bind" and so she is being called - ''the one that binds". **

**I would also like to explain ****_el _****the paragraph she didn't understand. I suck at explaining though so keep it in mind.**

_**Before the voice left her head though she already managed to miss it. - **_**She started to miss that voice before its echo even left her mind.**_****_

"Excuse me for a while," she whispered into Tyler's ear, smiled at him and then she ran out of the ballroom, following the temptation that most likely would also lead her to what she might had lost last night. - **She left Tyler as she decided to follow that voice, the temptation that she considered as the way back to her soul.**

**Hope it's more clear now (:**

**Oh my God this A/N is getting waaay too long. If you're still reading this, I'm sorry xDD**

**Please leave a review! They are always awesome. **

**Love, Sara. **


	4. I will fear no evil, for you are with me

**A/N: Thank you for all your support, for following, faving and reviewing this story. **

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**chapter third**

_Even though I walk _  
_through the valley of the shadow of death,_  
_I will fear no evil, for you are with me._

He stroke lightly the edge of her jaw. His fingers moved up to her cheeks, they wandered across this pale skin of hers. He watched the light and shadows fighting against each other on her face as he was putting his fingertips on it and then taking them away.

His hand ran through her golden curls. They charmingly spilled across the pillow, now looking like a bright aureole, shining its light upon her head. How could something be so fragile and good and yet as mysteriously beautiful and breathtaking as only darkness could be?

She was breathing slowly. Her breath was such a wonderful melody. It reminded him the sound of leaves falling down from the trees in autumn and landing softly on the ground. Blooming flowers, butterflies' wings fluttering in the wind. Watching her sleep was like looking straight into the sun until it burns your eyes, leaving nothing but darkness behind your eyelids. But it wasn't the darkness he was used to, it was a different kind. He didn't know its name though.

He sighed as he took his hand away from her as if she burnt him. He couldn't think about her this way. She was indeed beautiful. He'd seen lots of women and still could swear he'd never seen any more perfect than this sleeping blonde behind him. But all her beauty was only there for him to destroy it. And lately he really felt like destroying something fragile, something wonderful. And she was nothing more than his little china doll, something easy to break. He always laughed at those saying that beauty is strength. There was nothing weaker than true beauty.

A smile danced across his lips as he realized soon she would be his. And there would be so much to do with her than just stroking her face while she was defenseless and sleeping.

Then he felt strange chill streaming down his back. He cursed under his breath. To hell with her, what was she even doing there? He'd told her she was his tonight.

"Look at her over there, such a sleeping beauty. Is she ready to wake up already?" Rebekah asked, standing right behind Klaus' back. He greeted his teeth at the sound of her voice.

"I think I'd made myself clear the other night," he hissed, grabbing her throat and pushing her against the wall. "Stay away from Caroline or you might find yourself wandering across this earth without your precious little eyes."

"Let go of me, Klaus." She demanded as she pushed him away. "We are not here to make sure she sleeps well, we are here to make sure she does not know what it means to sleep anymore."

"I told you I—" Klaus started but before he managed to stop Rebekah, she was already holding her hand on Caroline's cheek, wide smile lightening her face.

"I hope I am not interrupting some sweet dream of yours, darling," she whispered, laughter dancing in the air as she spoke.

* * *

Caroline woke up to the feeling of somebody's touch on her face.

"Not just yet, Elizabeth," she mumbled to her maid, still sleepy and half lost in a dream she didn't manage to dream up yet.

"Elizabeth's sleeping. It's me, Cary." This voice utterly broke her dream. She opened her eyes widely and looked straight into her night guest's face.

"Tyler?" She asked surprised, wondering what the hell was he still doing at their mansion. Was it possible the party hadn't finished yet? "What— ?"

"Shh, I do not want to wake them up. I shouldn't be here." Tyler said, his voice so quiet she could barely hear it.

"Isn't it the middle of the night?" She asked as she sat up on her bed.

"It is, which is why I wish you could talk a little more quiet." He hissed, clearly getting a little irritated. Caroline rolled her eyes, still mad at him for waking her up like this and yet being rude enough to hiss at her.

"Of course, my lord. I promise not to ask questions while waken up late at night by my darling fiancé who should not be at my family's mansion in the first place." She said ironically, crossing her hands against her chest.

Tyler sighed, she could hear him breathing in and hardly letting the air out of his lungs.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. It's just—" he stopped, his eyes never leaving her face, taking in every reaction reflecting in her eyes. "Never mind. Could you please take my hand and let me take you somewhere? I promise you, it will be better than anything you could possibly dream."

She sighed. "I cannot, not in my night dress."

"Then perhaps you should change… As fast as you can, if you don't mind."

Suddenly she felt strange sickness, somewhere in dark pit of her stomach. She couldn't change, she didn't want him to see her naked. Not just yet anyway and right then she didn't believe she would ever want to.

"Would you please wait for me in the garden?"

He rolled his eyes.

"As you wish."

Tyler sent her a smile as he opened carefully her room's door. Caroline smiled back at him and then she saw something silver shining in his right hand.

A knife.

* * *

Caroline went out of the house as quiet as she could. She was scared, feeling the fear overwhelming her without any reason at all. Or maybe there actually was a reason – maybe it was the blade in Tyler's hand. It was ridiculous though. Why would Tyler want to hurt her? Of course he would not. Not like this, not physically. Only mentally because he was important to her at some point. A point she couldn't quite figure. That was another thing she considered as something absurd. She sold her soul for him. He wasn't just important to her, she was in love with him. She could spend hours holding his hand, looking into his warm chocolate eyes and looking up at the sky, thanking God for letting her marry the one she wanted. She shook her head as if she wanted to get rid of all these thoughts.

She was in love with Tyler. Madly and forever. End of story.

She sighed as she got closer to the place where they used to spend all their time during summer. It was a lovely, little summerhouse painted in white and overgrown with ivy. She really enjoyed it. When she was younger she was secretly hanging out with this boy from the village called Matt and they used to kiss on its roof. One day it just caved in while they were making out and since then there was no roof at all, so she could just sit in her summerhouse and stare at the sky. Sunny or star-studded, it really wasn't important. What mattered was the closure of it. She wanted to touch it, she wanted to reach it. Taste the clouds, let the sun burn her eyes and wander across the moon. She was like a bird though she didn't have wings. And that's why she always desperately needed a man in her life, that's why she was so desperately holding on to Tyler. Because she truly believed that a right man could lift her up so high that she could put her hands on the sky she loved so much.

Caroline smiled under her breath. She speeded a little, feeling sudden excitement warming up her insides. And then a familiar silver shape loomed in the grass and she slowed down again, heat turning to chill freezing her veins. She stopped, hearing somebody's laugh and the sound of lips pressing against each other.

"Caroline is so naïve, does she still believe that you have feelings for her?" A voice said. Care felt blood leaving her face and painting it white. Cold sweat streamed down her back. _Allison_.

"She shall be here any minute. I will finally tell her the truth. And then we will run away, Alli. Just as you wish." Tyler said, his voice sounding like laugh, like music. Then they went quiet, started kissing again.

Caroline is so naïve. I will finally tell her the truth. And then we will run away, Alli.

Before she figured out what was she even doing, Caroline was holding tightly the knife in her hand. So tightly she could almost feel its blade shredding her skin, blood streaming down her wrist. She entered the summerhouse like hypnotized, like she was dreaming. She couldn't stop herself, she couldn't turn back. She couldn't decide anymore.

"Caroline?" She heard Allison say as she took a step away from Tyler.

Caroline wanted to speak but she couldn't make any word leave her throat. And there was so many words she wanted to scream, they were gathering in sentences and she was almost choking.

She raised the blade and she came closer to Allison. Tyler backed off, his face as white as a ghost's skin.

"Caroline, what are you doing?" He asked, too scared to get close enough to stop her. Care's eyes where lightened with tears but she still couldn't speak. She saw her pale fingers clasping around the knife. And then she watched the blade plunging into her sister's chest and her falling down on her knees, her eyes never leaving Caroline's, her lips whispering "Why?" even though she did know the answer.

Then Care heard Tyler's groan, she heard him screaming something, cursing her, cursing God, cursing himself. She turned around, her face bloodless and pale. He leaned against the wall, pleading her not to kill him too. But she had to.

* * *

"No!" Caroline screamed, looking down at Tyler and Allison laying in the pool of their own blood. She fell down, still screaming. Her insides felt like they were filled with broken glass. Shattering inside of her, killing every little thing she'd ever felt. She could feel pieces of glass shredding their way through her organs, tearing them apart. She closed her eyes to separate herself from what she'd just done but the picture didn't seem to leave her head. It broke under her eyelids, got into her veins, under her blood-stained skin, she couldn't shake it.

She did this, she killed them. She was a monster. Why couldn't she just die? She pleaded for death. Death was like freedom. Death would lead her straight to hell... Or maybe she was already there. She couldn't tell.

"Wake up, sweetheart. Wake up." She heard inside her head. Damn this voice. How could he be so naïve? She couldn't wake up. It was not a dream.

"Caroline? Caroline, hear me!" The voice started screaming. She covered her ears, trying not to hear him.

"Caroline, I'm begging you."

_Maybe if I could see you_, she thought, raising the knife once again in order to sink it in her own heart. _Maybe if you were real_.

Right before the blade hit her chest, somebody caught it and took it away from Caroline. She groaned, looking up at whoever it was. She was prepared to see the devil himself. Dark demon with his skin burnt and black, rotting and stinking. With his wings made from dead crows' feathers and his eyes filled with blood.

But instead she saw a man.

There was no red in his eyes – only two rings of blue around his dark pupils and white everywhere where his irises didn't reach. His hair was bleached dark blond as if he was spending most of his time enjoying the sun. It was curly and rudely short-cut. His skin was pale but that must had been because of the silver star shine lightening his silhouette. He was wearing black but it wasn't the kind of black she imagined the devil wearing. It was the one she wanted to bury her head in and sob onto it until she didn't have any teardrops left under her eyelids. Caroline was taking in every detail of his face. Her eyes stopped at the height of his lips but she immediately took them off them, feeling his gaze on her own face.

"Come with me," he commanded, reaching out his hand for her.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked, her voice breaking. She knew he could feel her fear, that he needed it like she needed breathing. And yet she could also feel that he was fighting it. His face was bloodless, abandoned by emotions.

"Why would I kill you?" He asked, a corner of his lips lifting up in some weird amusement. It didn't annoy her though. She felt nothing but fear. She wasn't afraid of this man, she was afraid of herself. And there was blood all around her. Her fiancé and her sister dead, murdered by her. She looked back into the man's eyes since they were so hypnotizing, taking her attention away from everything else. And that was what she needed. Distraction.

"I deserve to die," she answered his question.

He sighed. "Just give me your hand, Caroline."

She did what he told her to. She enjoyed the way he was saying _Caroline_. Like it was a prayer rather than a name.

"Now follow me."

She did.

* * *

He took her to her bedroom and she could not tell him no. As he told her to go back to bed, she could not refuse his demand. As if the words were imprisoned inside her throat and couldn't get out of there.

"You are him, are you not?" She managed to ask with a choked voice as he covered her with a blanket. He sent her a questioning look. Caroline yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

"You are Klaus," she explained. "And you saved me. Why would you save me?"

A smile danced across his lips. Caroline couldn't tell what kind of smile was that. Her mind was clouded.

"I did not _save_ you, love." He said eventually. "I just thought it would be much more satisfying, seeing you living in paranoia than let you die before the fun even started."

"You seem to find pleasure in being mean and brutal," Caroline whispered, her voice sleepy and so quiet he could barely hear her. "But you are such a liar, who would ever believe it?"

He smiled again.

"You will." He promised.

"Does this mean you'll be back?" She asked, more to some man from her dream than to Klaus. He didn't answer the question. He let it fade away and disappear in the night. Then he let himself do exactly the same.

He had to leave before he would do something stupid.

She was nothing more than his little china doll, something easy to break.

And he was nothing more than a moth, drawn to the sweet light of hers.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for all the mistakes. I don't have a beta and I really wanted to update something for you today (: Please leave a review, each one of them means A LOT. If you don't have time to write a long one, just write if you liked this or not. **

**Thank you.**

**Love, Sara.**


	5. He's my only savior

**A/N: It's been a while since I've updated something. I had to deal with the writers block and school stuff but finally, here it is (: I hope you enjoy this one, I personally do.**

** Thanks to all of you for reading, following and faving this story. **

* * *

chapter fourth

_He's my only savior, _

_Living in a stateless zone._

_Searching for an answer,_

_Everywhere he goes. _

It was different.

She could feel it.

Caroline woke up to the quiet rustle of somebody's steps. She opened her eyes as she felt a strange, sharp feeling edging its way through her body, streaming down her spine and taking away her breath.

Fear. Indeed, she had something to be afraid of.

She let her eyelids fall down again and cover her eyes. There was last night's pain flashing behind them. Memories coming back from dead. Wandering across her mind like ghosts, howling into her ear. Allison's groans, her mouth wide open, lungs hurting in desperate need of air they could not get. Tyler screaming, his body pinned against the wall as she'd approached to him to dug the knife in his chest. Her hand, covered with blood, as she'd raised it in order to stab herself. And then another one, a man's hand, clasping the knife and taking it away from her. Then his bright blue eyes never living hers, his breath on her face as he'd opened his mouth to say "Come with me". And her own breath trembling as she'd let him hold her hand and lead her back into her own chandler. The way all the blood she was drowning in had seemed to disappear under his glance.

Blood.

Caroline opened her eyes again and looked at her hands. They were pale. They were clean. They obviously didn't belong to a murderer—or did they? She didn't want to know the answer. Probably there wasn't any. Maybe it was all just a dream. She breathed out in relief at this thought. It was a nightmare. And now she was awake. Dreams could not hurt her as long as she would stay awake.

She cringed as she heard someone entering her chandler. She looked towards the door.

"Good morning, miss Caroline. I hope you slept well," Elizabeth said, sending her a wide smile.

"I did," Caroline lied, answering her maid with a smile on her face as well. She watched the old woman open the closet and take her favorite, red dress out of it.

"What do I owe the pleasure of wearing this, Beth?" She asked surprised. "Are we planning on going somewhere today?"

"As far as I know, you are going to try on your wedding dress. Therefore, you are visiting the city and your mother really wanted you to wear this one during your journey."

Caroline nodded, waking up from her bed.

"Do you know with whom shall I travel?" She asked another question as she took off her nightgown and stood in front of the mirror. Elizabeth helped her put on the red dress and said, "I do not. All I know is that you shall be back in the evening. You shall have a guest."

Caroline frowned.

"A guest?"

"Some young gentleman from afar. He seems to be interested in buying some of the lands your father owns," she answered as she continued tying the ribbons of Caroline's corset.

"Do you know his name?"

"I do not remember, miss. Why are you so curious anyway?"

Caroline looked down so her and Elizabeth's eyes didn't meet in the mirror's sheet.

"It's been a while since we've had a visitor." She explained calmly. "Especially a foreigner. Do not blame me for my curiosity."

Her maid burst out of laughter.

"Your curiosity, my dearest," she said. "It shall lead you straight to hell one day."

As she said this, she stepped back to see better how Caroline looked in that dress.

"You're so beautiful, miss." She commented but Care was still focused on that one word Elizabeth had dared to say before.

Hell.

* * *

Caroline went downstairs, ready for the journey. She felt relief as she saw Allison sitting in an armchair, focused on drawing something. Her sister was always an artist – her drawings were so beautiful, as Caroline touched them she could almost feel the true facture of the things her sister drew under her fingertips. She always deeply admired that. Painting was something wonderful – few dead, graphite lines brought to life by somebody's passion. She'd always thought that if she had a chance to meet a man who could paint, she would just take his hand and let him lead her wherever he wanted. And she wouldn't hesitate, drawn to his power of making something beautiful out of this horrible world. World full of shadows, death and unsatisfied desires, wandering all across people's minds like nightmares. Of urges setting their insides on fire and making them its slaves. Slaves searching for an opportunity to please this fire that was burning down their little bodies, dying not for love but because of it. An artist though, she would sell her soul for one, if she even had it.

Tyler was nothing like this. Yes, he was the kind of man who could make her laugh, whose kisses tasted as a sweet liquor, who could make all those butterflies flutter their way down to her stomach with one smile only. But that was all. He couldn't make her question who she was, he couldn't take her breath away. He could show her the beauty of life but he couldn't make her feel alive. And sometimes as she lied next to him in his bed and watched him sleep, his chest moving up and down with each little breath he took, she was so sure she loved him. With the purest love she could. The one other girls could only dream about, never knowing its taste in their entire lives. And dear god, she shouldn't be thinking things like this, not right before her marriage. But lately she had those wild desires growing inside of her, making her feel so laughably weak and insecure and yet freeing her somehow. And wasn't that the thing she wanted all along? The freedom?

"Care? Oh God, how pretty you look!" Allison's voice broke inside her thoughts, taking her attention off them. Her sister closed the sketchbook and came closer to her, taking in every little detail of her appearance.

"Thanks," Caroline answered simply, smiling back at her sister. She was so glad she was alive and didn't know about all those things Caroline had done to her last night in her sleep. "Will you keep me company while trying my wedding dress on?"

"Of course! How could I miss it? Dear Lord, you will look so beautiful. Tyler is such a lucky man." Allison exclaimed, her voice breaking a little as she said the name _Tyler_. Care obviously heard that but tried not to pay it too much attention. She was probably still paranoid after last night. Her sister would never take her fiancé away from her. She wasn't that kind of person—or was she?

* * *

"You are so quiet, Care. Is something wrong?" Allison asked Caroline as their carriage slowly started approaching to London. She shook her head in answer.

"No, it's just— " She looked down, then at her sister again, asking herself the same question. "I don't sleep well these days," she answered eventually as she started nervously wrapping one of her curls around her finger. It wasn't the whole truth but it wasn't a total lie either. Something in between. Not white and not black. Her words were grey, just as the sky upon their heads.

"Are you haunted by nightmares?" Alli asked, looking at her with genuine concern.

"Sometimes," Caroline sighed, letting the remains of last night's dream flash underneath her eyelids once again. "I just don't feel—" She stopped, searching for the right word.

"Safe?" Allison guessed, but Care only smiled at this. She'd never wanted safety. At least not this kind of safety her sister probably had on her mind.

"Free." She explained, although she wasn't quite sure if that was exactly what she'd been missing. It wasn't the right name for it but it was the best one she knew.

"Being free should not be what you look for, miss." The sisters cringed at the sound of Elizabeth voice. She'd been so quiet that they'd managed to forget about her presence. "Being free means nothing more than being completely on your own. And a young woman like you cannot be on her own in this world ruled by men."

Caroline felt the sudden anger worming up her insides. She left those words without a comment though, painfully aware of how accurate they were. She leaned her head against the window with a quiet sigh and watched the landscapes changing in front of her as their carriage kept moving forward. Everything was grey and drowning in the rain. She could never live in London, she would get lost in this eternal fog. Besides she knew that Tyler would never want them to live there either. And as much as she hated what Elizabeth had said, she knew that she really had no choice at all. She would never be on her own. She would never get to decide where she wanted to live and what she wanted to do. A woman's life was just like dancing. If you wanted to dance well, then you needed to learn certain steps and repeat them over and over again, putting your feet carefully so you did not step on your partner's shoes. And then Caroline thought she would be stuck forever in this dance. Forever dancing held by a man who didn't even enjoy dancing. _Stuck. _What a horrible little word.

"Speaking of men, Tyler is worried about you." Allison broke the silence. Caroline rolled her eyes and turned her face to her sister.

"Why?" She asked, surprised at how easy it was to drive her crazy mentioning Tyler's name only. She missed the times when his name sent butterlies down her spine. Maybe those feelings were gone along with her soul. Maybe they were a part of it. Maybe now, when she knew there was nothing left for her after she would die, she was also able to see much more about life.

"We saw you. The other night, in the garden." Allison whispered so Elizabeth wouldn't hear her. Caroline shook her head, completely incapable of finding some at least a bit convincing lie.

Then Elizabeth said, "We are here" and that was probably the first time when Caroline was actually happy to hear her voice.

* * *

The girl in front of her looked so beautifully sad. She had her eyes wide open, shining as if they were filled with shattered glass. Her skin was pale, almost transparent and she could see each one of those blue veins running blood through her body under it. Her fair hear was falling down her shoulders, almost reaching the line of her waist just like the sunshine almost reached the ground on a summer day. The dress she was wearing looked as if it was woven from clouds and fog. The pallor of her skin made its fabric look as if it was grey rather than white.

Caroline reached out her hand and the girl in front of her did exactly the same. She didn't feel her heat under her fingertips though. She only felt the cold facture of glass instead. She sighed, letting her fingers linger on it for a short while and then slowly taking them away.

"You are so cursed, Caroline." She heard suddenly inside of her head. She immediately closed her eyes, trying to protect herself from this voice somehow.

"Oh, why don't you look at me? Are you scared, my sweet darling?"

Caroline forced herself to open her eyes and she glanced into the mirror. What she saw in it made her glance turn into a long stare. Suddenly she couldn't take her eyes off the reflection in it. The reflection that wasn't even hers.

"I am not," she said, her voice trembling so hard that no one would ever believe her. With or without her soul, she still remained a terrible liar. The man in the mirror burst out of laughter.

"This is what you are, is it not? Only a shadow, a reflection of what you could be. You are standing behind the sheet of glass that you cannot break. Watching all the potential you have slowly going out in your precious little eyes, fading away just as you will one day. You reach your hands out to catch the world but you find yourself hitting glass each time you try…" He said, his eyes never leaving hers. Although they were brown, just like Tyler's eyes, there was nothing warm about them. She found herself freezing under his gaze.

"You are probably considering me a fool right now, but that is not what I am, darling. I am not a fool and I am also not just a reflection in this mirror. In fact, I think I'm even more real than you are." He continued, slowly reaching out his left hand towards her. She couldn't move. As his fingers touched her cheek she could barely keep herself from screaming. They wandered across it until they reached certain spot somewhere under her ear.

"Can you feel this?" The demon asked, pushing his fingertips a little harder against her skin. "If I pushed a little harder, you would die in a minute. It would be like falling asleep. Slow and peaceful. I assure you, you wouldn't even notice that you're dying. You would probably just wake up somewhere in hell, feeling your skin burning fast and your bones cracking…"

Caroline closed her eyes, her heart beating so fast as if it wanted to get out of her chest. She felt the demon's fingertips pressing harder and harder against this pulsing spot on her neck.

"But my dearest, I will not do this to you…" He said suddenly, taking his hand away. "You know, there is this certain beauty in the birds trapped into a cage. The way they flutter their wings, trying to get out. For the first few days, weeks even, their desperate need to break free is so unbelievable strong. It burns inside of them like a flame. And then there comes this day when it starts to go out. They accept their fate, you would say. They learn to live in the prison. But in fact, they do not. As their desire to break off the ground gets weaker and weaker, they start dying…" He stopped, a smile lightened his face. "Have you ever seen a dying bird, Caroline?"

She shook her head.

"Then let me show you."

As he whistled, Caroline felt something soft and cold landing in her hear. A feather. She looked back at the man in the mirror and she saw a bird sitting on his shoulder. It looked horrible, featherless and dirty. She couldn't tell what color had its feathers before.

"Please—" Caroline started, her voice shaking and so quiet she could barely hear it. "Please, leave."

He laughed, "If you insist, I shall. But what kind of man would I be if I left you all alone? Let me give you this poor little thing as a reminder of me… and my everlasting presence in your precious life."

As he said it, he stoke lightly his terrible bird. It broke off, breaking the silence with a horrible noise. It fluttered its way to Caroline and landed on her shoulder, its claws pressing painfully against her fragile skin.

Caroline closed her eyes.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…

She felt the pain on her shoulder getting weaker. As its fire went out completely, she raised her eyelids carefully. The only person in the mirror was her. She was alone. She sighed in relief.

"Allison? I am ready, may you please come here?"

* * *

"Caroline, you look—" Allison couldn't find the right world. Her sister was always unbelievably beautiful but this time she left her totally speechless.

"Pretty?" Caroline asked, the corners of her lips lifting in a smile as she turned around to see herself in a mirror once again. She didn't look pretty, she looked beautiful. She was standing there alone but Allison could almost see Tyler's hand on her waist, his lips pressing against her neck as he was trying to take this gown off her and touch her naked skin…

She shook her head, trying to stop these thoughts.

"I need to tell you something." She said finally, wanting to take those words back as soon as she said them.

Caroline frowned, looking back at her.

"Tell me what?"

She took a deep breath, "It is about—It is about Tyler."

"What can you possibly tell me about Tyler, Allison?" Caroline asked, her voice a little harsher than she wanted it to be.

"We kissed. The other night, in the garden. And ever since then I—"

"Kissed?" Caroline repeated, her voice sounding so cold that it almost froze Allison's insides.

"I assure you, it—" Her voice broke. She couldn't say that it meant nothing because it was real for her. Because she enjoyed it. Because she truly wanted it to happen again.

Caroline shook her head. She didn't even feel hurt. She wanted to laugh.

"Excuse me, Allison." She said, pushing her sister away and getting out of the changing room. She ran out of the dressmaker's.

* * *

She didn't know how much time she'd spent, wandering across the city with her feet bare and wearing her wedding dress only. It felt like an eternity.

The sun had already left the sky and the silver moon appeared upon her head instead. She could barely see it because of all the clouds. She didn't know what to do.

She sat on the ground, leaning against a streetlight. She felt like a whore, watching all those man stare at her while passing her by in their carriages. She stiffened as she noticed one of them slowing down and then stopping right in front of her.

"I am not a whore, my lord." She said, rising up and lifting up her chin. In answer she heard his laughter.

"Oh, I am aware of that, sweetheart."

She gasped in surprise. She knew that voice.

"May I offer you a ride home, miss?" Klaus asked.

Caroline sighed. She wished to say 'no' but she knew she didn't have another choice. She could either swallow her pride and get into his carriage or spend the night on the street, freezing. She took the hand he reached out for her and in a minute she was in, sitting next to him.

"Have you ran away from your wedding?" He frowned, his eyes taking in her presence.

"Not exactly."

He chuckled.

"It wouldn't surprise me if you have, though."

She looked down, still feeling his gaze on her skin.

"Why?" She asked, delicately smiling.

"It is hiding in your eyes, you know. This everlasting urge to break free. The knowledge that there is a lot more out there, waiting for you to see it."

"If the world is waiting for me, mister, then its waiting is vain. I am not meant to see its beauty. And if you believe I am, then you must be a hopeless fool."

"I see my dear brother gave you a present but did not explain you its meaning," Klaus changed the subject. As he said those words, she could see the bird appearing on her shoulder again. It looked much prettier than she remembered, although it was still weak and dying.

"It is a reflection of me, I assume."

"Not exactly. It does reflect what you are, indeed. Love, joy… Beauty. But it is also a symbol of eternity. Of death and awakening."

"Awakening?" Caroline frowned.

"You may think there is no hope for you," he whispered to her ear. She held her breath, she wasn't aware how close he was. "You've lost your soul and now terrible things happen to you. You see what do not exist and yet it is the most real of all the other things around you. And you want the way out of it, don't you?"

"Do you know how to win my soul back?" She asked, surprised how firmly her voice sounded.

"I do."

"What do you want in return?"

"You will find out, I promise."

"Can you please give me some time to think about it? I do not want to make a deal with devil without thinking about it first."

She felt his cold hand on her face as he pushed her hair off it to see her better. It made her cringe.

"I shall join your parents for a dinner now, Caroline. After it is over, I will visit you in your chandler… And then you shall tell me whether you agree for a deal with me or not."

* * *

When they finally got to the Forbes' mansion, she excused her parents and went straight to her chandler. She'd told Klaus that she would think about making a deal with him, but it wasn't true. She didn't want to think about it. She desperately wanted to make it, right away. She had nothing to lose anyway. Caroline almost laughed at herself, at how naïve she was – making another deal with devil without even knowing its terms.

In order not to go crazy while waiting for Klaus, she took paintbrushes, paint and some canvas out of her closet. She figured that maybe drawing all of her demons would make dealing with them a bit easier. She was a terrible painter though and she didn't know how to even start it.

She drew a first line, the edge of Klaus' jaw since he was the one she wanted to draw first. It wasn't that bad, so she pulled the paintbrush up. Then she heard someone's steps behind her back.

"You are doing this wrong, love. You are holding it as if it was a knife when in fact, it is more like a flower."

Klaus came closer to her. So close that they were one now, her back pressing tightly against his chest. He grabbed the hand in which she was holding a paintbrush and clasped it lightly. Caroline loosened her fingers. You're holding a flower, she said to herself. With his help she carefully drew another line.

"Just like this," he whispered.

She felt his breath on her neck. She was standing still but inside she was trembling. She could feel him everywhere. It was like he wasn't just right behind her, it was as if he delved into her soul. His voice was a melody in her head, it was sending so many chills down her spine that she felt she would pass out any minute. His presence was a curtain, she knew that as long as she would stay covered in it, she would be fine. Strong. Free. It was what he was giving her, the illusion of strength. Freedom. She never wanted him to leave.

Then he asked, "So what do you say, love? Do we have a deal?"

And she told him, "Yes."

* * *

**_A/N: Please leave a review, remember that they are like chocolate cupcakes for every writer ever! (:_**


	6. Eyes on fire

**A/N: So here's the chapter, I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your reviews, you are amazing! Reviews always make me smile all day like crazy. **

**Dedicated to Laura because her wonderful vid got all my hopes and inspiration back after the godforsaken episode of ****_The Originals_****. ****_Te amo, mi hermana 3_**

* * *

**chapter fifth**

I'll seek you out,

Flay you alive.

One more word and you won't survive.

And I'm not scared of your stolen power,

See right through you any hour.

I won't soothe your pain.

I won't ease your strain.

You'll be waiting in vain.

I got nothing for you to gain.

* * *

**night**

"So what do you say, love? Do we have a deal?"

"Yes."

He took a few steps back. As he did, Caroline felt strange coldness spreading all over her body. She turned back, still holding paintbrush in her hand.

"You do not know the terms. How foolish it is of you." He said, smiling widely. "What if in exchange I will send you even worse visions than you are seeing already?"

"You will not."

"And why would you possibly think that?" Klaus asked, barely keeping himself from laughing at this naïve little girl.

"Because you saved me, the other night," she told him quietly.

"You think I saved you."

"Because I can see you now. And somehow, everyone else can too. And seeing you makes it easier to believe you. This is what seeing is, sir. Believing."

She watched his smirk leave his face with satisfaction. She wasn't sure if she won this conversation but she at least gave him something to think about while spending his days hiding in the shadows. As he didn't answer, she said:

"So what should I do now? Sign our deal with my blood? Sacrifice a lamb on fire? Because I can do this, you know... I can do anything." She took a few steps forward, in desperate need of being once again as close to him as few minutes ago. She put her hand on his chest, then moved it up to his neck and rested it there.

"Just tell me what do you want me to do…" She whispered into his ear. He smiled, placing his one hand on her waist and pushing her curls off her face the other one.

"Using your blood to sign a deal—" he whispered into her face, his voice tender and low. "—would be such a waste. I'd rather want to taste it… if you allow."

His lips lightly pressed against her skin. They danced their way down her chin and then landed softly on her neck. Caroline closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the way it made her feel. As if she was burning and freezing at the same time. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head closer so he couldn't take his lips from her anymore. She closed her eyes, feeling his kisses all over her neck, making her tremble under their touch. Then she felt his fangs sinking into her vein and she let out a quiet moan. He hurt her but it wasn't painful at all. In fact, it was the best thing she'd ever felt.

His bite felt as if he was touched every nerve of her body. She could feel him in her veins, running through her bloodstream. As he continued drinking her blood, his hand started untangling the ribbons of her corset. When they loosened, she felt it sneaking underneath the fabric of her gown. His fingers danced across her back and she felt them leaving burning traces in each place they touched. His hand wandered lower, towards her behind and once he put it there she thought she would pass out any minute. But she didn't, her body still waiting for him to touch it more and more, to discover every part of it. He pinned her against the wall, she wrapped her legs around his hips to pull him even closer. She felt herself getting weaker and weaker and she wasn't sure what caused it, the desire burning wildly inside of her or all the blood she'd lost.

The hand he'd rested on her behind moved a little lower, almost in between her legs. She held her breath, desperately wanting to feel it there and she arched against him, her body pleading for his touch. But before the air left her lungs, she felt his fingers moving up. He put them on the back of her neck and then suddenly took his mouth off her skin.

"That's enough, love." He said, licking away the blood still remaining on his lips. He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. Their noses almost touched.

"Do not worry, it is only for now." He whispered into her opened mouth. "You know I will come for more, right?"

Caroline gasped in irritation, pushing him away. She turned away, never wanting to see his face again. She then heard him laughing and as she turned back to tell him to stop it, he was no longer in her chandler.

* * *

**the morning after**

Caroline touched gently two little wounds on her neck. She pushed her fingertips harder against her skin and she smiled to herself, reflected in her ridiculously big mirror. Blushes painted her face pink. Her eyes were shining with some kind of light she couldn't quite recognize.

_What had she done? _

She sighed, as if she tired to breath out this question. She took her favorite pearls and wrapped them around her neck, to cover the wounds.

Here it was. The morning after dark. She signed the deal, she agreed for the terms she would probably never know. There was nothing really left for her to lose. She could not care less about bringing shame to her family. She could not care less about Allison's godforsaken opinion and the 'genuine' worries she happened to share with her fiancé. By whom Caroline felt really betrayed, by the way. He could as well spit into her face and yet it would be less humiliating than what he had actually done.

Caroline closed her eyes and put her hand at the back of her neck, in the same place her night visitor had rested it before.

You know I will come for more.

She smiled once again. Maybe she was being self-destructive. Maybe it would kill her, one day. Maybe it would take away all that she still had left. Maybe losing what she had was the key to freedom. Maybe sometimes it's just what you have to do – let everything go, no matter how painful it is. Maybe that's the point of everything. Losing it all, becoming a silhouette. Once you become a silhouette, all your old colors fade. And then you can paint yourself differently, you can change yourself into a work of art. Be whoever you want to be, whatever it is you admire. You can come true.

_What had she done?_

* * *

**night**

He was staring at the moon's silver's face, his eyes squinted, freezing from its pale light. The night was still young, wearing its brightest dress. It had the color of anemones. Its navy blue was a little fairer where the stars shined and he was truly amazed by the fact how people could waste nights for sleep and miss the opportunity to see their gentle beauty. How could their worship sun instead of the moon. The darkness was mysterious, strange, full of ghosts. Fascinating. And his little lady finally understood it.

He could still feel the taste of her blood on his tongue. So warm and sweet, as delicious as the finest of wines. He wanted to get drunk on her, to drink until she was dry and white, until her heart stopped and her veins turned pale. He wanted to dig his nails into her fragile skin, until he could feel her insides under his fingertips. But he couldn't, not just yet. There was still so much to do with her. And her pain would taste even better if she knew some pleasure first.

"You are entertaining yourself, I see. Finally." Rebekah said as she stood right behind him. "I got real bored, watching you so melancholic. It does not look good on you."

He smiled, his eyes never leaving the moon and he left her words without a comment.

"She looks delicious," Rebekah sighed, her voice filled with jealousy. "And her mind is such a dark place. She shines like lightening, but she is full of shadows. It must be really exhausting for her. I wonder how much time will it take until she gives in."

"Not too long, I presume. She is not naïve but she is desperate. And I do have a good card to play." Klaus smirked.

"And the hell by your side."

"And the hell by my side." He repeated, smiling even more widely.

* * *

**the morning after**

Allison heard her sister going downstairs, then she saw her entering the dining room with Elizabeth by her side. Caroline had her curls arranged into an effective bun and Alli felt a sudden chill running through her body, freezing something inside of her heart so hardly that at some point the coldness turned into a heat, so hot that it almost burnt her. She swallowed, trying to ease the fire. She knew this feeling. Envy, it was called.

"Good morning, Allison." Caroline greeted, the look on her face completely different than the one remaining before Alli's eyes all night. Her sister looked genuinely happy. Satisfied even.

"Hello." Allison answered shortly, not really sure what else to say. Words seemed to stuck inside of her throat and she couldn't let them out.

"The weather is just wonderful today, isn't it?" Caroline asked, looking through the window. Alli started at the sound of her voice, still shocked by how lightly it sounded.

"Reminds me of when we used to sneak out in the summer, when we were younger." Care continued, lowering her voice so Elizabeth couldn't hear her. She probably wouldn't anyway, too occupied by dusting the furniture. "We would go out of our town, to the village. Watching peasants girls play there but never joining them."

Allison smiled. "I always wondered what it would be like—to be one of those girls. Their lives seemed so easy. They were younger than we were but also older, at some point. They knew more. They knew what it meant to enjoy themselves. We did not, did we?"

"No. Nevertheless, that was the whole point of sneaking out. Finding out." Caroline whispered, her voice empty and sharp. She coughed.

"Sometimes I wish we could do it all again."

Allison looked down.

"Let us do it then," she heard herself saying, a wide smile dancing across her face. It reached even her eyes, which were now burning in pure excitement. Caroline laughed lightly.

"Oh, I do not know, Alli. It is so dangerous out there. What if we get lost? What if we get caught by our father? He would be so angry with us!" Caroline groaned. Allison let out a snort of laughter. Suddenly she started laughing so loudly she had to put a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. Her sister's speech was exactly the one they'd repeated while being children. It sounded funny, said with such an adult voice.

"Then he better won't ever find out." Alli blinked at Caroline just as she rose from the chair. Then she left the room carefully, followed by her sister.

* * *

** night**

_Mommy, mommy, let me out._

_I am done with darkness, I need light._

_Mommy, mommy, I am hurt._

_Flying, singing, as a bird._

_Mommy, mommy, let me out._

_I shall be a polite child._

Caroline followed the sound of this counting-out rhyme. She was surrounded by blackness and she could not recognize any shape in this sea of darkness. The only familiar thing was this little song, humming by a little girl, hidden somewhere in those shadows.

_Mommy, mommy, I need sleep._

_I fell met a boy, he made me weep._

_Mommy, mommy, I need God._

_The fire burns me, it is so hot._

_Mommy, mommy, I was bad._

_I sell my soul and I got mad._

Caroline came closer, now she could see the girl, she was like a figure behind a fair curtain, silhouette and blur. She was dancing, spinning around, clapping her hands. As she heard Caroline, she stopped suddenly. Her face now hidden under messy curls. Her hair was blonde but not fair. Dark rather, very dirty. Dusty.

"Hello," Caroline greeted, reaching her hand out for the girl. She didn't take it but she also didn't push it away.

"I shall do you no harm." Care promised, trying to push the girl's hair from her face. She stepped aside. She started singing again.

_Mommy, mommy, let me out._

_I am lost but cannot shout._

_Mommy, mommy, I shall die._

_I am scared but cannot cry._

_Mommy, mommy, this is real._

_The voice of hers, just like a thrill._

"Where is your mommy?" Caroline asked lightly, her voice weak from the fear that suddenly started overwhelming her. The girl remained still. She blew few curls from her face and her mouth moved.

"I have no mommy."

Caroline frowned.

"What about your daddy?"

"I have no daddy." The girl answered bluntly, shrugging her skinny shoulders. The dress she was wearing was dirty and ugly. Understandable, considering the fact that she was an orphan.

"What are you doing here all alone?"

The girl sighed, as if this question was the one she was asking all the time. As if it was really tiring for her. When she spoke again, her voice was bloodless, bored even.

"Dying."

Caroline stepped back. Then the wind started blowing, the shadows swaying in it. She looked up to the sky and she saw sun. It was red and bleeding into the sky. She took her eyes off it so she could see the girl again. The wind pushed her hair from her face and Caroline started to cough as she saw it finally.

This face was hers. She could recognize the pale skin, big green eyes shining as if they were made from glass. Reflecting her as two big mirrors, so exact and so precise. She could recognize her pink lips, even though they were cracked and covered with dried-up blood. Then Caroline saw that girl's dress, too, was all bloody. The blood was streaming down from the wounds on her skin. There weren't even wounds, there were two gaping holes through which she could see her bones. Just as Caroline was about to scream, the girl said:

"Do not be afraid."

And then, suddenly, the fear left her.

"Save me." The girl pleaded, putting her little fingers inside of her wounds. "Save me."

Caroline closed her eyes, clutched them tightly, trying to get rid of this dream, of this child, of her pleading voice, of her cry for help.

As she reopened them, she was back in her bad. The melody still remaining in her head.

_Mommy, mommy, there is help._

_In the village, by the lake._

_Mommy, mommy, there is a witch._

_She shall heal me with her speech._

_Mommy, mommy, it is true._

_She shall see me, see me through._

* * *

**the morning after**

"Could you please enlighten me where are we going?" Allison asked.

"Here," Caroline answered, pointing out to some cottage right before them. She entered the little, neglected front garden and then knocked on the wooden door. They opened almost immediately.

"What do you want?" A woman standing in them asked suspiciously, her eyes taking in both Caroline and Allison. She looked horrible, with her hair dirty and messy, so long that they could almost touch the ground.

"I heard you know witchcraft." Caroline said calmly, even though inside she was trembling. Allison started at the word witchcraft.

"Then you heard wrong."

Care shook her head.

"People say you have a power to see through them. And then, to heal their souls."

"This is none of your business." The woman hissed, Caroline cringed as she felt her cold breath on her face. It smelled like smoke, like burnt skin.

"Please, could you see through me too?" Caroline pleaded, reaching her hand out for the woman. Allison looked at this terrified, not even able to move or speak. The witch looked round, then took Caroline's hand and clasped it tightly. She murmured something under her breath, something Latin and chilling to the bone. A spell. Caroline felt a cool breeze on her face, a heat where her and the witch's palms touched. And then a burn as the woman pushed her hand away, scratching it at the same time and leaving bloody traces on it. Caroline looked up at her and she stepped back automatically, seeing the woman's eyes widening and turning white. When she spoke, her voice was mechanic and hoarse.

"Death." She choked and then she fell down, blood streaming from her eyes, mouth and nose.

* * *

Caroline ran, she didn't know where, she just ran. She heard Allison follow her and screaming out for her, but she couldn't focus on it. She just ran until she hit something and fell down, hearing her dress tear up. She cursed under her breath, trying to get up. She felt somebody's arms helping her. She clutched her fingers on his body, slowly rising from the ground.

"Why running so fast, miss?"

She froze. She looked up at him—no way, it couldn't be him. Only, it was. She immediately pushed herself away, running into Allison who'd already managed to catch up with her.

"Are you in a rush, ladies? If so, let me offer you a ride." He said, his eyes never leaving Caroline's.

"No." Caroline said firmly, clasping Allison's hand and trying to pull her away from him. But she stopped.

"This is Klaus Mikaelson," she explained to Caroline. "He shall do us no harm. He has a deal with our father."

Caroline looked over Allison's shoulder, at Klaus. He smiled insolently, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Please, excuse my sister's behavior, sir." Alli said lightly. "She did not attend the dinner last night—"

Klaus smiled even wider and Caroline wondered how was that even possible.

"Yeah, I know. The lost soul I gave a ride home, if I recall correctly." He cut Allison off, then he directed to Caroline again. "But I'm afraid I did not introduce myself properly."

He took Caroline's hand, then kissed it slowly and lightly, and Caroline felt his lips burning a whole in the spot they touched.

"My name is Klaus Mikaelson. Now, if you allow me, I shall take you home."

He left her hand and moved forward, towards his carriage. The girls followed, and there was only one question stuck in Caroline's head.

_ What had she done?_


	7. the devil within

**A/N: So finally, here's the next chapter :) I hope you haven't forgotten about this story yet. It's just that I had so much stuff to do, all the exams and grades-fixing and I had to give up writing for some time. Anyways, sorry for the long wait!**

**I'd also like to thank Laura (kcaccola15) for being my beta and Yvonne (diving-in-emotions) for making such a beautiful cover for me. Really, guys, you should check their tumblrs and follow them right now, they're perfect. **

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**chapter sixth**

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_You'll never know what hit you;  
Won't see me closing in.  
I'm gonna make you suffer;  
This Hell you put me in,  
I'm underneath your skin  
The devil within._

* * *

Caroline watched Allison disappear behind the gates of their family's mansion and then, after she made sure her sister couldn't see her, she looked back at Klaus.  
"So," she started, raising her chin up and sending him her coldest look. "What did you want to talk about?"  
He smiled, reaching out a hand for her. Caroline barely fought the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn't do it, she was supposed to act like a lady. And as much as she hated it, a lady was supposed to take man's hand, whenever he wanted her to.  
"Let us take a walk, miss. We shall talk about winning your soul back."  
"I do not want to take a walk with you. All I want is for you to tell me what is it that you want from me and leave me alone finally. Along with the bird and your army of demons." Caroline said, as he pulled her by her hand towards the woods. She wasn't afraid because the day was bright and vivid. And yet, she felt strangely restless. She didn't trust this man and she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Suddenly she felt the wounds pulsing on her neck and it was like they were about to start bleeding.  
"Caroline, love, I am afraid that in order to get back your soul, you shall do what will not be in your tastes." answered Klaus finally, his eyes meeting hers and taking in her face. It was now darkened, her mouth opened in concern and anxiety painted her skin in some strange shade of pale. She swallowed hardly.  
"And what would that be?"  
Klaus smiled dangerously what made Caroline step back and let go of his hand. She pushed her hair aside of her face, waiting for him to answer. She could feel her shoes sinking in the mud underneath her feet and the lace of her dress being painted brown.  
"I want you to leave your family and go with me."  
Those words felt razor-sharp, as a blade shredding her heart into two. She could almost feel the blood spreading through her body, surfacing through her throat, almost choking her. Everything before her eyes became darker, stranger. She couldn't believe it. He couldn't be serious. She couldn't leave all she had and follow him. It wasn't possible.  
"I cannot," she managed to mumble, looking away. He took a few steps forward and rested his hand on her forearm. Then his face approached to hers, his lips touched her ear and his voice filled her head, sending a tingling feeling down her spine.  
"But we do have a deal, don't you remember?"  
Caroline closed her eyes to focus but somehow, she couldn't. It was so hard, having the devil sitting on her shoulder, crawling underneath her skin and paralyzing every reasonable thought. Too hard. It wasn't what she signed up for. The demon of her lust, wasn't it? Well, certainly. He knew exactly where to touch her to leave her trembling. Which strings to pull. She was just a puppet in his hands.  
"What if I break its rules?" whispered Caroline finally, her voice as cold as the wind on her face. When he spoke, his words were smiling.  
"Then you shall be dead."  
She decided to smile back. "Doesn't impress me, sir. Aren't we all born dead anyway?"  
He stepped back, his gaze still remaining on her face though, his eyes looking _at_ her but seeing right _through_ her. She was a mystery at some point. Good but strong, complicated and strange but also blunt and honest. And so beautifully brave. Klaus smirked, raising his eyebrows.  
"There is much more to death than what you think there is. You think it's about fading away. Painless and peaceful. Like a flame going out or a fog being blown away by the wind. But in reality, it is something else. It's not falling asleep, Caroline. It's drowning. It's choking and hurting and watching people you love slowly forget about you. And then, when you are nothing for them anymore, not even a memory, not even a thought—this is when you truly die. And it takes a lot, sometimes even an eternity. Because your soul leaves its marks on each little thing you touch. So this agony of being forgotten—it has no end for your soul."  
Caroline shook her head. "Which soul?"  
And in his eyes she could see that he didn't like the answer.  
He pushed her against the nearest tree, his strong hands holding her throat so she couldn't even breathe and she was forced to look him in the eyes. And they were so dark and cold, like two frozen lakes in the winter and she really felt like drowning right then.  
"You listen to me," he hissed into her widely open mouth. "You shall leave with me. Leave your home, your family, all your life. You shall leave all that you have and do whatever it is that I want you to. See, sweetheart, we do have a deal. And it's signed with your blood. Remember that I am within your skin. I know every thought of yours. I know your every move. If you run, I will find you. And then, I swear, I will make you suffer until there's just your aching body left of you. And who knows, maybe I will tear it apart until it rains blood here. Yours and everyone's you have ever met."  
Caroline felt his nails pressed against her neck so hardly that it was impossible for her not to believe his threads. She was so fragile and helpless around him. She could tell him how careless she was, how trivially funny life was to her but then, on the verge of death, she was desperately gasping for her breath, she was trying to make him let go of her. She was trying to survive. She did wanted to live, no matter what this life would be like. She could spend it in the great mansion with Tyler, loving him with the love that maybe wasn't mad and passionate but yet, was both true and warm. She could spend it wearing pretty dresses and smiling when she was told to and chuckling and drinking champagne. She could spend it raising a family and then die and be rested in a family's tomb—and then what? Would she be cursed to burn for an eternity? Or would she be cursed to exist the way he'd told her?  
No, there was no way out of this. She was infected by a disease that maybe wasn't giving any symptoms but could still take her to the grave. Worse even. To hell. And she could pretend she wasn't ill and live on and on and on. But this would be a life full of lies and paranoia. And she wanted more. She deserved more. So she said,  
"I shall leave with you, if you insist so badly. I shall do whatever it is you'll ask of me. But then, after we're done and we're even, you shall set me free and let me go back to where I belong."  
Klaus' hands left her throat as he stepped back gently.  
"And where do you think you belong?"  
She remained quiet, she couldn't force herself to look at him. She was just staring at the ground underneath her feet, feeling as if it was about to break anytime.  
"You surely don't belong to any man, since you truly despise them all. You do not belong to any woman, since you consider yourself more than they are—since you know you are better than them. And stronger. And smarter. You do not belong to earth, because all you want is to fly and watch it from above. But you are also not an angel sent from heavens, because you are too proud for that. And you burn too bright and too slow to be a part of hell," he stopped for a while, watching her curiously. "So tell me, what or who do you belong to?"  
She finally looked at him and said, "Myself."  
"But you have no sense of who you even are."  
"Well, one day I will. And it's safe to have this one person that will always be waiting for me. The one that will never leave me. It's safe to have myself by my side."  
He nodded, then pointed out at the sky.  
"There will be a full moon in four days. In the night of your wedding. This is when I will come for you. Be ready, sweet Caroline."

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"Sweet Caroline, why won't you raise the toast with us?"  
Caroline took a glass from mister Lockwood and raised it just as he wished. Then she drank down the champagne, trying also to drink away all the things that she'd heard from Klaus before. But there was no liquor in this world that could get her drunk enough to forget everything. And she couldn't even get drunk, for God's sake, ladies did not get drunk. And when they did, it surely wasn't because of selling their souls to a demon. How was Allison saying this? Ah, yes. Ladies do not get drunk, they get heartbroken. So maybe Caroline had her heart broken at some point, maybe it wasn't entirely untrue. It made her feel a little better.  
Suddenly she felt somebody's hands on her hips, grabbing her and she stopped breathing for a moment. But then she realized that this touch couldn't be Klaus', it felt different. It was much warmer—younger even.  
"Four more days and you are mine," Tyler whispered into her ear, sending this fluttering feeling down her stomach. But then the butterflies' wings turned into razor blades and started shredding her insides and she reminded herself that it's all a lie, even if he didn't know it yet. No, she wouldn't be his. Four more days and she would be gone forever. But she did want to say goodbye to him, even if it couldn't be a proper goodbye.  
"I can be yours anytime," she whispered tenderly, shaking at the thought of what she was about to do. It wasn't right and it was making her nervous. But she wanted it badly.  
"What do you mean, Miss Mine?"  
Caroline smiled, "I mean if you want me—take me."

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Caroline moaned as he started to kiss her all over her neck, his hands touching every inch of her burning body. She wasn't really sure of what to do. Before, she'd gotten to know what to do when a man danced with her, she'd gotten to learn what to do when he put his tongue inside of her mouth. But what was happening now was totally strange and honestly, she wasn't even sure if she enjoyed it.  
Tyler's lips wandered across her chest, as if he wanted to kiss away all her presence, and as pleasant as it was, it wasn't enough for her. She could feel his hands everywhere, and it was all so hot and burning that she felt sweat covering her body. Her curls were glued to her forehead. Tyler's body was so warm against hers that she wanted to scream.  
"You want more?" He asked, looking up at her. Their eyes met and she saw something weird darkening his eyes. Something like need, like hunger. Both wild and unfulfilled. Lust. She sighed.  
"Yes," she answered, his lips getting lower and lower as he continued kissing her. "Yes."  
But she didn't. She felt naked, ashamed and dirty. It all happened too fast and it was too hot inside for her to actually enjoy any of it. He was kissing her and talking to her, but it felt like he wasn't even fully aware of who she was. He treated her like a thing, something he could use to please himself. He wasn't thinking about her. And she could feel his touch but she couldn't feel his love. And all she wanted was a goodbye, tender and filled with feelings and shining lights. That's what goodbye even is, isn't it? Just another word for love.  
Before Caroline could take control over her arms, they pushed Tyler away. She covered her naked body with a sheet and she took a deep breath. He watched her with his eyes wide open, barely catching his breath.  
"We—we cannot. Not yet," Caroline explained, pushing the wet hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, I—"  
But he wasn't listening, too busy with trying to dress himself up. She watched him put on his suit and run his fingers through his hair so they weren't so messy. She didn't say a word. He didn't either. He just looked at her right before he left the chandler and she couldn't tell what he was thinking about.

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She was dead. As much as her heart was beating, as much as her lungs were breathing and her eyes blinking, she was dead. He was right; this wasn't like falling asleep.  
She looked into the mirror. Her cheeks were red and so was her forehead. Her lips were pale. Her eyes were moist. For the first time in her life she thought that maybe she wasn't beautiful. Maybe she was just as hideous and spoiled as everybody else. Maybe that was the reason Tyler had never wanted her. Maybe that was the reason she could never be happy enough. Because she wanted too much. She expected everyone to do exactly what she wanted. Even death, for God's sake, she even wanted death to listen to her pleads. But death was smarter than she was.  
Now she had to pay the price.  
And she wasn't going to cry about it.  
Not anymore.  
"Promise me," she whispered to herself, her eyes wide open as she spoke. "Promise me you'll be strong. Promise me that you'll make it through. Promise me that you will never give up. Promise me—"  
Even though Caroline stopped for a second, her pale lips didn't stop moving. They were trembling. She bit them and as she felt the blood filling her mouth, they opened again, to whisper another promise.  
"Promise me that he'll never see you cry."  
She looked so soft and fragile with her skin white, with her curls golden as a halo and wearing her best dress. But the shadowed surface wasn't all. It couldn't be because it wasn't enough. There had to be a lot more.  
"Promise me that you'll fight."  
She started counting under her breath. _One… Two…_  
"I promise."  
And now she was a warrior.  
_Three._

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**_A/N: So, what do you think? Will she be strong or will she break? Please, leave me your thoughts in reviews. Each review is as a chocolate cupcake for me, and yeah, I love cupcakes. _**


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